A Forgotten Secret
by Sarah Cabbage Patch
Summary: A part of some of the X-men's past returns and a well-kept secret finally comes out. *Update* Chapter 3 is up. Yeah there's a little more now to the plot and a little more action. Have fun!
1. Intro

X-men Evolution

Disclaimer: I don't own none of these. Never have. Never will. What a bummer, huh? I don't really own Marguerite either, well not really, sorta. 

She watched as the scientist gathered his supplies and equipment from the cupboard across from her. She was slowly drifting in and out of consciousness, but not because she was tired. The assistants never knew how strong she was going to be that day so they always upped the dosage of anesthetics they gave her. She could feel the changes in her body already even though the scientist and his assistants couldn't see or report anything of significance yet. She despised them all; no, she HATED them, with every fiber of her being. They had taken everything away from her: her childhood, her life, her parents, and even though her best friend was in that horrible place with her, they made sure that they rarely ever saw each other. They knew it would give them something to fight for. But most of all, they had taken away who she was; something that she valued very much. She opened her eyes one final time to see the scientist lower his scalpel onto her skin. Her flesh seared from the pain and it felt like fire all the way along her spine. She felt a scream rising as she could feel and see the blood oozing out from her...

Marguerite screamed as she bolted upright from the bed. She clutched her chest and began taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Gosh, how she HATED that. Too many times she had that dream. When she was little, right after it happened, she had it every night, but as she got older, it frequented her less and less often. She rarely had the dream once every six months or so. NO, not a dream, a horrible memory. She lay back down and turned on her side. She could never get comfortable on these lumpy, hard motel beds. She had been at a different motel every night for two weeks, she moved erratically, not in any pattern, so whoever had killed her friend, could not find or follow her as well. She could have been back home within a few days of her departure, but there was no way she was willing to risk leading anyone who could harm her or her family to her home. Home. A place she had not been in almost ten years. A place she missed terribly, but she knew it was better for everyone if she was gone.

Marguerite, or Mac to her friends and family, had regained most of herself after all these years, but there was still a part of her missing, and she knew what it was: her best friend. She didn't see him after they had been rescued from the laboratory, he went home with his family and she went with hers. But she WAS his family, and he was hers. After about a year of being apart, they were reunited when he lost his family and came to live with her at the institute. But after only a few months, she was forced to leave and she hadn't talked to or seen him since. She was 5 ½ then and he was 8; but now she was 16 and had grown into a very beautiful and poised young woman. She was about 5'6 with a slender body, but she wasn't skinny. She was well balanced with weight and muscle. She had very vibrant auburn hair, with more of a reddish tint to it, which hung a little past her waist. Her hazel eyes pierced you and you could feel them looking past your face and into your thoughts and soul. Yes, she was very beautiful indeed, but only those that knew her well or looked hard enough, could see that she was unhappy. And she was. She was lonely and different; a very bad combination in today's world.

But that was all about to change. Tomorrow she would be back home. She was catching an early bus to Bayville and, hopefully, she would be at the institute before noon. By tomorrow night, she would be sleeping comfortably in her own bed again. And by next week she was sure to have that job as the new science teacher at Bayville High School, which was close enough to home. Mac was a VERY smart person, a child prodigy actually. She had graduated high school when she was 10 and had since gone on to college and gotten her masters in teaching for both English and science, but more lurked beneath the surface of her calm, collected and intelligent surface. Mac had a secret; one that she guarded with all her life. But once she was back at the institute, she knew she would have a little more freedom and she wouldn't have to hide her true self any longer. With that thought comforting her jumbled thoughts, Marguerite drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Back at the Institute...

Everyone was still up and the air was buzzing with restlessness. They were still getting used to their newest housemate, Professor McCoy, or Beast as he liked to be called. Jean and Kitty were on one couch discussing the magazine Kitty held in her hands and they were taking the frilly little quizzes often found in them. Rogue was off in one corner reading a book her friend Risty had lent to her. Evan and Kurt were trying hard to beat Bobby and Ray at a game of Ping-Pong while Scott and the Beast talk about Scott's latest question in his science class. Outside of the room, in the hallway, Logan and Xavier are discussing Logan's latest memories. All of a sudden, Xavier turns his head slightly, as if sensing something.

"What's up, Charles?" Logan asks, noticing the professors fading attention.

"Nothing much," Xavier says back. "Well, I believe we are going to have a special visitor very soon."

"Humph. Magneto?" Logan growled. "Or one of his henchmen? Like Mystique or.... Sabertooth? Logan growled saying that last part as he clenched his hands into fists.

Charles remained clam and a hint of a smile could be found on his lips. "No, Logan," he explained. "No one who will do us or the children any harm. Just...someone I've been waiting for, for quite some time now." With that last part said Xavier looked over at Scott, smiling. ' _Soon, he thought. Soon everything will be as it should have been._'

Author's Note: Okay... time for feedback. How do you like it so far? I promise in the next chapter I'll explain all the connections and everything, and I'm sure that most of you have already figured some things out. J Let me know how you like it and if I should keep going! Thanx!


	2. The secret returns home

Mac woke up to the bright morning sunshine the next day, feeling as wonderful as ever. She had gone back to sleep the night before without any more dreams or nightmares or horrible memories. Today she felt beyond exuberant! She was finally going home. With that thought in mind, she hopped out of bed and went to go get in the shower. Within the next 20 minutes, she had showered, got dressed, fixed her hair up in a French twist and was out the door on her way to the bus stop. '_Next stop, home,_' she thought, smiling as she headed down the street.

As he got ready that morning for school, Scott noticed something different; the professor wasn't in his office like he usually was, he was sitting at the kitchen table. Every now and then Scott glanced up and caught a smile creeping across his mentor's serene face. _'Humph. I wonder what could be making the professor so happy this morning,' he thought. 'He's never with us at breakfast. Something must be up.'_

As if Xavier was reading his mind, he suddenly cleared his throat to grab the attention of all his students. "I would like all of you to come directly home after school today. No extracurricular activities; I have already called the school and any coaches. You are all excused from practices and whatnot this afternoon."

"But why professor?" Jean questioned, obviously startled at their teacher's cryptic words. "Is there something wrong? Should we be worried?"

Charles chuckled, something he rarely ever did. "No, of course not. I want you all to be here because I have a feeling that we are going to have a visitor today, but I do not know when they will be arriving."

Kitty looked mystified and confused. "Well, is it someone we should be looking out for? I don't understand."

Xavier looked at all his students and noticed they all shared the same concerned, confused look. "No, this person means us no harm, I can assure you all. They are an old friend to some of us. They are a mutant of course, but a very _special_ mutant. I think it would do you all good to be here to meet them. I also have a feeling that they will probably be staying with us for quite some time, maybe even permanently, if I have any say in it." With that, he wheeled around and left to finish up some odds and ends, leaving the bewildered students behind to get ready for school.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Kurt questioned as soon as he was out of earshot. "Do you think we _should_ be worried?"

Scott, who had sort of zoned out during the professor's speech, suddenly snapped back to attention. "No... No I don't think so, Kurt. I get the feeling that he was telling the truth. I know it was a little puzzling, but I think that we really don't have anything to fear from this visitor. Probably just someone who's going to show us something about mutants; maybe a new power none of us have ever encountered before. Uh, excuse me, but I got to get to school early today, I got to study or something..." Scott suddenly lowered his head and went to his room to get his books so he could leave for school, not saying anything or even looking at the other kids.

"Boy what's up with him?" Evan questioned, following the retreating friend with a curious glance. "Did someone step on his toes or what?"

They all looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally, the silence was broken when Kurt teleported over to Kitty and stole the last eggo waffle from the toaster in front of her. "Kurt!" She yelled as she ghosted through the table to try and get her breakfast back from him. "Let go of my eggo!" After that, the usual breakfast noise was in full-effect and it seemed like any other normal day.

As he sat in his car in the school parking lot, Scott began to think about the professor's words. School didn't even start for another 45 minutes, so he had a lot of time to ponder. _'It couldn't be,' he began thinking. 'It just couldn't be. He said she was never coming back, that she might even be dead. But I hope she's not; she can't be! If it is her, then I don't know what. Gosh, it would be great to see her again. It would be like having at least part of my family here. Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up, it probably isn't even her._'

Scott reclined his chair a bit and found himself thinking about his childhood friend whom he had spent almost every waking moment with before they were split up. As Scott drifted off into his memories, the time began to fly by. Next thing he knew, the bell was ringing and students were beginning to pull in next to him and file into the school. Reluctantly, he got out of his car and, not waiting for Jean, he headed off to his first class.

Mac looked out just as the bus she was on passed by Bayville High. _'Just a few more minutes_,' she thought. She could see the students flooding into the tiny doorway that hadn't changed since she was a student there. As she was looking at the kids, she was startled and looked more closely out the window. '_No it couldn't be!' she thought. 'He couldn't still be here, not after all these years, I'm sure its not him._' Mac turned away from the window and sat back down. '_I mean why would he be wearing those red sunglasses, he wouldn't wear something as silly as that. And besides, he wasn't wearing them when I left. It was someone else, I'm positive_.'

She looked back out the window and could see the institute looming over the horizon. She gathered up her bags and whatnot and stood up, ready to depart this bus for good. As it stopped, she went and paid the driver and carefully walked down the steps, not wanting to trip or anything. She walked up to the gates, set her bags down and pressed her thumb to the fingerpad just outside the entrance gate. 

"Welcome home Ms. Cunningham," the speaker said as the gates began to open.

"Thank you, it's great to be home," Mac smiled as she went through the gates and walked the long path to her home. As she neared the steps, she stopped and beamed a smile bright enough to replace the sun. 

Charles Xavier was waiting on the front steps with Ororo, the Beast and Logan all behind him. "Welcome home, my child. It's good to see your smiling face again!"

Mac dropped her bags on the path and ran all the way up the stairs to give him a long hug. With tears streaming down her face and being pushed down the sides of her cheeks by her smiling lips she managed to speak, "Thank you. It's wonderful to be home again. And it's even more wonderful to see you, Grandfather!"

Xavier was delighted to have his only grandchild back home and was even more delighted that she wanted to be back. He let her go so she could go and hug Ororo, whom had been at the institute before Mac had left. Mac said Hello to both Beast and Logan, whom she remembered, but could tell he obviously didn't remember her (and she really didn't expect him to, it was a long time ago).

Xavier turned around to face his family, a smile permanently etched into his face. "You look stunning, my dear," he said as she turned back to him. "You have grown up to be quite the beautiful young lady. If I hadn't have recognized your eyes, I probably wouldn't have known it was you!"

Mac chuckled and blushed a little and went to go and pick up her bags, but the Beast and Logan had already picked them up and were ready to go and put them in her room. "Thank you," she said. "I was just going to get them." 

"Don't worry about it kid," Logan said. "It's our pleasure. Charles' only granddaughter warrants some nice manners from us. Although, being part of his gene pool, I have a feeling you would have done just fine, wouldn't you, Sprite?"

Mel just laughed. "I believe so, Mr. Logan. Is that the best nickname you could come up for me? Sprite?"

Logan smiled, something he never did. "Hey, what can I say? After Charles told us about what you are, it was the only thing that came to mind. Someone like you surely has to be quite 'magical'. And it's not Mr. Logan kid; it's just Logan. Got it Sprite?" 

She flashed him a 100-watt smile. "Got it. Logan"


	3. Crying Times

Xavier, Ororo, the Beast, Logan, and finally, Mac, walked together into the mansion, all the while no one saying anything just yet. 

Finally, Mac broke the silence, "So, umm, where exactly is my room? I'm sure you just put me in one of the guest rooms right? I mean, since there are so many kids here now."

"Well, yes, we have been getting quite a few new students here. Way more than when you were here. I believe it was just Ororo, Scott and you wasn't it?" Xavier asked.

Mac stopped suddenly at the mention of her friend's name, but quickly regained her composure. "Umm," she stumbled. "Yeah, it was just us, but only for those few months before I left. How many are there now? I have to imagine there would be quite a bit."

Xavier thought for a moment. "Well, I do know that there are more than fifteen, I think. I can't remember the exact number at the moment. Ah," he said as they reached the main bedroom corridor. "I believe that you'll find that your room is just down this hallway, at the end."

Mac stopped and looked at her grandfather, dumbfounded. "But, wait," she stammered. "That's exactly where my old bedroom was. I thought the guest rooms were up another floor!"

Xavier just smiled at his long-lost granddaughter. "We left everything just as it was. I have never given your room away. I knew that you would be gone long when you left, but I always felt that you would be back someday. And besides, Scott was the one to convince me not to change anything. I know your decorating taste has surely changed, so feel free to change what you will. "

Mac barely heard the last few words her grandfather muttered. "Scott? He said not to change anything? But, why?"

"He told me that you would be back someday. When I asked him if you told him that, he said no. Just that he knew you would be back, he said he felt it. You know," he went on, noticing the forlorn look on her face. "He waited up every night for you for four months, hoping you would-"

"Stop!" Mac cried out. "Stop talking about him! I don't want to hear it! You know he was the reason why I left!" She crouched down in the doorway and started to cry holding her head down.

Xavier looked shocked at this sudden change in her emotions, so he went over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Child, I know what you gave up for him, and I know how you feel about it. But, you're going to have to put that behind you now. The times have changed and I'm sure that he has accepted your leaving all those years ago."

"But," she sputtered through her tears, which were beginning to slow a bit. "I know he hated me for leaving and I never gave him an explanation, I just left! I know he just hates me now!"

Xavier sighed and pulled Mac's face up so he could look her in the eyes. "He does NOT hate you, my dear. I don't think he ever could! Scott was your friend then and I know that he still is now."

Marguerite finally opened her eyes and looked at her very caring guardian. "But, how do you know?" she asked as if she was a young child again. "He can't still be here. He has to be with his brother now in Hawaii. He wouldn't have stayed here if Alex was there!"

"But he did," Xavier calmly said. "Scott only found out about Alex a few months ago, but he chose to stay here in hopes that his brother would join us. He hasn't yet, but Scott remains very loyal to the X-men. Wait. How did you know about Alex being in Hawaii?"

Mac's tears now seemed to be gone, save for the few glistening in the corners of her eyes. "I... I ran into him when I was moving about, trying to stay hidden. Before I found out where Henry was living. Alex didn't remember me that well, but I just figured that him and Scott kept in touch; that they had already found each other. I didn't know that they didn't yet. But... he's still here? He really is here?" 

Xavier felt Mac's pain mixed with happiness at the thought of Scott still being here after all these years. "Yes, he is. He never left. I guess he figured that if he left, then he might miss you if you ever came back home. And I guess he was right to do it, because here you are, back home, and he's still here."

Marguerite just sat there on the ground for a moment then slowly began to stand up, a smile playing across her beautiful features. She dusted herself off and started to look around her old room, still covered with all of her old toys and everything from her childhood. "You said I can change this however I want?" she asked, her face looking more relaxed, trying to forget what had just happened.

Charles laughed a little. "Of course, any way you wish my dear," he answered. "Your bathroom is fully functional still and if you'd like, I can give you some money to go and buy things to go in your room, along with paint and new furniture."  


"Alright. That would be nice," Mac said as she turned to face them again. "Maybe I should go now and get everything then, while it's still early. That way I can start redecorating tomorrow, or even tonight. Because, believe me, this decor DEFINITELY has to go!"

They all stood there and laughed for a moment, glad to be rid of the tension from just a minute ago. "If you'd like," Logan finally said. "I can try and recruit the kids to help you get everything ready. Either tonight or tomorrow, since it will be the weekend. Besides, I'm sure they will be more than willing to help you."

"Thank you Logan," Mac said. "But what makes you think they will be willing to help me do hard labor, someone they hardly know yet? Especially since I'm their teacher's granddaughter!"

"Yeah, I'm sure when you put it that way, they might not be," Logan said rather mysteriously. "But... when the alternative is going through a training session for three hours with me, you'll be surprised at how many little Martha Stewart volunteers you'll have helping you in no time."

Mac chuckled a bit and truly smiled at Logan and thanked him for being so helpful. "Now Mac," Ororo piped up from behind Xavier. "Why don't you and I go out now and get everything you need and let the boys here start clearing out your room and getting all the equipment we're going to need later when we start working on your room. I know an excellent little mall just down the road that should have everything you need. What do you say to that?"

"I say let's go!" Mac cheerfully replied. "I think these boys here could use the hard labor for a little while. Besides, I think a little time for bonding with my oldest girlfriend is just what the doctor ordered." 

"Very well," Xavier said. "We'll get your room ready to be painted and your things moved up to storage in the attic. You two go do what girls do best and shop to your heart's content! The students should be home around three, so try and be home around then so you can meet them all."

With that said Ororo and Mac departed, leaving Logan, the Beast, and Charles to clean out her room.


End file.
